


Little Red Riding Wolf

by Asher_Magphai



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Bullying, Exhaustion, Family Secrets, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, Hiding in Plain Sight, Illnesses, Innocence, Insomnia, Post-Death in the Family, Protectiveness, Ruby Rose is a Faunus, Scents & Smells, Season/Series 05 Spoilers, Starvation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 18:23:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14219046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asher_Magphai/pseuds/Asher_Magphai
Summary: Faunus!Ruby with a bit of a different take than I see most people go for, where harsh past bullying causes Ruby's family to try to have her hide her heritage and have very little idea what they are supposed to do with her. With the tail of a wolf, a few unfortunate canine workings and tendencies, that isn't exactly comfortable; she doesn't want to disobey the rules her family gave her, but she doesn't seem to be very good at following them...she needs to stop pointing out in her head how people smell.Kinda Season 4/5 Spoiler with Qrow.





	1. Bound Tail

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a oneshot because my mind decided it liked the idea for the moment and I have writer's block of Fragmented Magic...somehow it turned into a four or fiveshot, I don't understand how this happened. It's gaining a life of its own. Help.  
> Hope you all enjoy.

Ruby tried her best not to squirm under her WAY too thick nightgown, the corse fur of her wolf tail jabbing her stomach and back above the pj pants she wore. Normally she wore a thin tank top with a dog on the front to keep the appendage from irritating her, but in a room full of people she was stuck in something that would have made her sweat if she could...panting wasn't an option without drawing unwanted attention, unfortunately, leaving her body to slowly increase temperature while she tried not to whimper.

"Don't worry Sis, I'm sure everyone will be asleep soon." Yang whispered, her half-sister having to stop a growl from rumbling in her throat.

_Of course you think that, you're a human._ It wasn't like she had any issue with humans, her whole living family were all humans after all. The problem was that, being the only Faunus, she tended to be very misunderstood...she still remembered Uncle Qrow yelling at Yang when she broke the inflatable pool the younger had been sitting in during an awful heatwave when they were younger, having been jealous that she wasn't allowed in the pool too (she had unlocked her semblance by then but had next to no control and would heat the water up in seconds). Nowadays the blonde was more attentive of the redhead's needs, but she couldn't help being jealous every now and then. "Yeah." Forcing a smile was for the best right now, nothing they could do.

"Do you need to go outside for a few minutes? I can message you if everyone falls asleep while you're gone." As good of an idea as it sounded it wouldn't really help any, the handmade 'climber harness' hidden below the nightgown with clips to keep her tail from moving was far more uncomfortable than her temperature...it made her feel like a dog in a muzzle, confined and extremely irritable (though she had a month of practice at hiding the latter).

"Nope." The silver eyed girl finally answered. "I'll be ok for a bit longer." If she could just take off the harness the wait until everyone was asleep and she could change into her usual much thinner tank top would be so much easier, but Dad and Uncle Qrow had made it very clear it was to stay on until she had a bed and curtains to cover it from the rest of her team. Even worse was that the tailed girl was to use her superior sense of smell to track the human girl once the initiation started, forcing them to be partners so the older could help hide the truth.

"Are you sure?" The lilac eyed girl questioned, looking more concerned than the other would have liked.

"'Course!" Ruby insisted in a whispered exclamation, though the other didn't seem to buy it. The more developed girl sat up suddenly, reaching into the more animal-like girl's bag without hesitation...it took all her willpower not to snarl, she did NOT like people touching her things without warning.

"Here." Yang tossed something at her, smaller hands snapping up to grab the object before it hit her...a blink, finding her favourite brown and white corgi pillow now in hand. It took a moment to register that it felt cool to the touch.

"Huh?" The Faunus girl looked at her half-sister, who smiled back mischievously.

"Dad made a pouch to put inside it, made the opening for it and a little zipper to keep it in...Qrow got the ice dust for the pouch." The human's smile became more sincere at the large, grateful smiling that appeared on her half-sister's face. "You'll have to keep it stocked on your own, but that should help."

"Thanks Yang. I'll message Dad and Uncle Qrow tomorrow to say thanks too." The younger pulled the cool pillow to her chest, pushing just a teeny bit of aura in to keep the dust active, and snuggled under her sleeping bag to wait.

~The Next Day, In Emerald Forest~

Her dad was going to be SO mad, her uncle probably more so, and her sister would DEFINITELY lecture her...but despite the possible consequences she still shot a Gravity Shot at her sister to send her flying much farther away than she would have gone. The silver eyed girl just wanted a partner of her own, rather than being forced to have blood at her side. Her legs needed little aura assistant for a straight landing, so she didn't bother trying to slow her descent and the resulting 'thud' scared the nearby birds away.

_Ok, a partner, a partner..._ Ruby thought, knowing there was no point worrying if one of the birds had been her uncle when they'd not been close enough to pick up the scent...not that anyone but her seemed to know he could turn into a crow, he had only admitted it before Mom had died when he heard the toddler ask the woman why he smelt like a birdy. "Not Weiss." Even if Weiss didn't TOTALLY hate her from the dust accident (it wasn't her fault her nose was so sensitive and the older girl's dust containers weren't corked properly!) she hadn't been around her or everyone else long enough to track the scent, even if the hieress did smell of freshly fallen snow.

"Thank you!" The call sounded soft from where she was but it was definitely Jaune, so he must have found a partner. And Blake was just...no. Canines and felines didn't get along, even if she'd been raised by humans even she knew that much, though she didn't know if the other had realized her heritage yesterday (though Yang had dragged her over to try and get them to talk when she saw Ruby staring, before the Faunus had a chance to say the black haired girl was a cat). Besides, the cat didn't seem to want anyone to know she was a Faunus either and the wolf had enough trouble keeping her own secret. Which left...

"Yang..." It was probably for the best, the lilac eyed girl already smelled like a burning forest and she wouldn't put it passed her to do just that in an attempt to find her. At least if she went to find her now she could say it was a training exercise in tracking and lessen the amount of trouble, since she still didn't have much practice for anywhere off Patch. The forest smelled of Grimm, making the redhead's body tense as she pushed off the ground and activated her semblance. She was so focused on making sure no enemies were nearby she almost tripped in her sudden stop, so as not to slam into something white and smelling of snow. Eyes slowly moved up the familiar white clothes without her permission, stopping only when she stared into icy blue eyes...which stared right back.

"No." Weiss hissed with a glare, spinning on her heel.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" The red lover called without thinking as the older girl walked away...she let out a pathetic whimper. "We're supposed to be teammates..." She muttered. _Yang's gonna kill me..._ Not only had her 'partner' ignored the rules of initiation, even if she did come back she was a SCHNEE; the most anti-Faunus humans known to Remnant...she should have just went with her half-sister. Silver eyes widened when the white wearing girl stormed back.

"By no means does this make us friends." The blue eyed girl stated harshly, grabbing the younger's hood and beginning to drag her by it.

"You came back?" Welp...the Faunus was well and truly doomed.

~After Initiation, Outside Beacon~

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Yang demanded angrily, glaring harshly with red eyes at her half-sister.

"I-it was an accident, I was just-" Ruby tried to explain in a panic, tail jerking against the harness as it tried to move between her legs in a show of submission like she would when yelled at back home.

"Why didn't you close your eyes?!" The older snarled, receiving a whimper.

"M-my eyes moved on their own..." The younger's voice wavered, sounding about ready to burst into tears...she had never responded well to her family being mad at her, harah shows of dominance like yelling caused her instincts to fill her with an almost all consuming fear. Her head bowed down and back hunched to give off the appearance of being smaller, her usual reaction. The blonde gave a harsh sounding sigh, the redhead lowering her head a little more, before a far softer one was released.

"Hey, it's...it's okay. We're just gotta be a lot more careful, that's all." The voice had become comforting now, hugging the other close. A shuddered nod was the response she got. "...What WERE you thinking Sis?"

"...I wanted my own partner." The silver eyed girl admitted in a whisper, getting another sigh. "Please don't tell Dad or Uncle Qrow!" She added in a panic, the lilac eyed girl glanced around before gently scratching behind her ear.

"We'll just tell them you were trying to track me." The tailed girl couldn't help but laugh lightly, having thought of the same. In moments her eyes closed and she was calm again, the familiar sensation working wonders.

"Thanks..."

"We should head back...you'll have to deal again tonight, I'm sorry." Another quiet whimper.

"...Is ok."

~Three Months Later, Cafeteria~

Despite her family's fears the past few months had gone fairly smoothly despite all the odd ground rules Yang had set, like don't leave meat laying around the room and the window curtains had to be closed at night; Weiss and Blake still had no idea of the secret the remaining members of Team RWBY kept (though the leader had very nearly attacked the feline when the older had accidentally began reading the younger's copy of a book instead of her own just a few days into the creation of the team, saved only by the brawler noticing the rigid body language), they had all been opening up or at least becoming less cold to one another too. Her team leader friend had introduced his team to them, and the half-sister's were surprised but pleased at how well the eight got along. The harness drove the wolf crazy at times, enough to run into Emerald Forest without permission just for a few hours without it, but she had yet to be caught.

Jaune had gotten beaten again during Professor Goodwitch's combat class earlier that day, by the resident school bully, and despite his peppy teammate telling some story of a dream she kept having the canine found herself unable to focus on it with his distracted expression and sad scent as he picked at the food on his plate...he usually had a comforting sort of scent that reminded her of aura, but it was covered under the sadness he was poorly trying to hide from them.

"Are you okay?" Pyrrha asked suddenly, the metal scent she had tinted with worry, the other redhead glad someone else had finally brought it up.

"Uh?" Jaune responded, turning his attention to them. "Oh, yeah. Why?" He set the fork down.

"It's just that you seem a little..." Ruby quickly spoke up, only to look away and start spinning her hands when she realized she wasn't really sure how to word what she wanted without it sounding insulting. "...not okay..." The silver eyed girl had to stop a wince at the awful attempt, probably more aware than the one she was talking to that their friends were all staring at him now.

"Eh, guys, I'm fine!" The blue eyed boy tried to assure them, looking to each. "Seriously, look!" He smiled widely with a thumps up, but the whole thing seemed fake...the nervous laugh that followed showed it too. The way his head suddenly snapped to behind his partner drew at least the girl across from him's attention, tail struggling when she saw the Faunus-hater that already was cruel to her friend laughing at a brown haired girl with long bunny ears with his team...they had been her half-sister's friends back at Signal, except the leader, and she had cut ties when she saw how cruel they could be.

_Don't say anything, don't go help. Don't say anything, don't go help. Don't say anything, don't go help._ The cloaked girl repeated the mantra in her mind, the kids in normal school on Patch had been so cruel to the once little girl that her dad and uncle had made it clear she wasn't supposed to talk to any Faunus here...keep the attention from herself, though one was on her team so that was at least allowed. It wasn't right and her fingers gripped into her school skirt so hard her knuckles were going white, almost all her focus on staying still and not letting out an animalistic sound.

"-Cardin-" The girl was red tipped hair could barely hear the conversation anymore, few words registering. "-picking-...-school-"

"-Practical Jokes!" If the hieress beside her noticed that she was beginning to shake she didn't mention it.

"He's a bully." The scythe-user barely kept the words from being a snarl, managing a simple glare instead, hating that anyone would even try and defend someone like that...the blond boy seemed to prefer just letting things happen, hoping it would stop, rather than attempt to actually stand up for himself.

"Oh please..." Brushing her off made her tail pull against its restraint so hard she knew the school skirt must have moved a bit, all effort now on keeping the anger building since getting here from taking over...she couldn't hear what the others were saying anymore.

"OOH!" Nora cried out suddenly, electric scent more charged than normal, standing and snapping the canine back to reality. "We'll break his legs!" She exclaimed with a large grin and fists up like she was just waiting to punch the one they spoke of...or for Ren to hold her back. The youngest opened her mouth, ready to agree.

"Guys, really, it's fine!" Jaune insisted as he grabbed his half eaten tray and stood.

_IT'S NOT!_ Ruby howled in her mind, mouth clamped shut but she was pretty sure her skirt just tore a bit from her grip.

"Besides, it's not like he's just a jerk to me; he's a jerk to everyone." He added in far too cheerful a tone.

_Not me..._ She thought as she looked at the bully tugging on the rabbit Faunus's ears...her hands flattened over her lap, subconsciously trying to protect the hidden tail from harm.

"Ow! Please stop!" The brown haired girl cried out and he pulled, it must have been a pretty hard pull...she could smell the tears building in the other Faunus' eyes from here, pain lacing the rabbit's scent. A hundred or more similar memories flashed through the wolf's mind, her tail being abused by mean children, curling into herself without a thought.

"That's enough!" Yang yelled suddenly, slamming her fists onto the table while her hair flared to flames as she stood with red eyes.

"Yang?" Weiss questioned as the blonde member of the team vaulted herself over the table, their leader freezing when she realized the older had been reminded of those times too.

"She said to stop Cardin." The red eyed girl warned, glaring down at the boy before he grinned and gave another tug.

"Yang!" It was too late, the brawler's fist had already connected with his face and sent him flying across the cafeteria.

"Leave." She warned the pray Faunus, who did exactly as told.

"Go get Professor Goodwitch!" The silver eyed girl ordered her team, jumping over the table and racing to the enraged girl. "Yang, it's okay!" She rammed into the other at full force, though it didn't seem to even phase her, wrapping her arms around her torso. "She's okay, you knocked him out! He can't hurt her anymore!" The mace-user really was unconscious against the far wall and his team seemed to have left him to his fate, she hoped he'd been able to activate his aura but she didn't smell blood from here. Looking up at her straining family member saw the older shaking, eyes still very red. "...I'm okay." The scythe-user assured softly, feeling the one she held slowly relax.

"...Sorry about that Sis." The forest fire smelling girl apologized softly once she had calmed down, hugging the one who held her.

"If you hadn't I would have." The younger admitted, getting a quiet laugh.

"I'm sure you would." The two pulled away when the door burst open, a not too pleased Professor Goodwitch walking in with Wiess at her side. The girl with red tipped hair let out the barest of whimpers when she realized the lilac eyed one might get it trouble. "No worries Sis."

~Later That Day, In Team RWBY's Room~

As it turned out, Professor Goodwitch had been more angry about the damage to school property than the actual fight; explaining that this was a combat school and none of the staff were foolish enough to expect their students to not resort to solving problems with their fists at times, partly encouraging it since it was almost always the 'bully' who ended up beaten and hopefully gaining a bit of humility...when she explained it like that it did make sense.

Unfortunately Weiss had demanded an answer for Yang's behaviour earlier before dragging her out of the room, likely somewhere with no people...leaving the two Faunus alone in the room together. Ruby had tried to distract herself with homework, but she wasn't used to being alone with the black haired girl and her body tensed at the thought of almost attacking her months ago.

"So...what was that about?" Blake asked suddenly, the younger looking to see she hadn't even looked up from her book.

"Um...?" Was she talking about the 'fight' or something else?

"Yang punching Cardin." Oh, it WAS about her half-sister.

"Oh, uh..." The silver eyed girl let out a nervous laugh. "I used to get picked on a lot before I went to Signal, so it probably just made her think of that." It wasn't a lie, at least...gold eyes moved slowly to look into her own.

"She didn't react like that when Jaune was being bullied." The older pointed out.

"...I guess it's because he's a boy." The cat was definitely as observant as one, which was going to make this harder.

"She lost any restraint when he pulled that Faunus' ear again." The wolf bit her lip, mind racing to come up with an excuse. "...It must have hurt."

"It does." The response came out without thinking and she immediately panicked when she realized how easily she admitted her heritage. "I-I mean, not like I have r-rabbit ears or anything, but I'd imagine-"

"Ruby." There was absolutely no joking in the black haired girl's voice, the other stopping her panicked rambling. "...What kind of Faunus are you?" The tailed girl jerked back as if struck, brain freezing. There was no point lying, her sister's partner would be looking for any little detail now.

"... Isn't it polite to tell me what you are first?" She questioned softly, seeing wide eyes and bow twitch slightly.

"How...?" Blake questioned after several tense seconds.

"Scent." Ruby admitted, tapping her nose. "You smell like a cat. And like...the shadow of a tree on a hot day. It's a nice mix...I like it." The older didn't seem to calm down despite the answer. "Yang smells like a forest fire, and Wiess like freshly fallen snow." The soft snort she got was reward enough.

"You're right, I'm a cat." The gold eyed girl agreed, pausing a moment. "If I show you my trait, will you show me yours?"

"Wha-" The silver eyed girl had no clue why the question felt so intimate, if they were both home surely they wouldn't be hiding the otherwise obvious traits...maybe it was because both had spent months doing the exact opposite. "...You have to promise not to tell Yang." Both knew neither had any intention of revealing their secret to the final member of their team. "My family doesn't want anyone to know, I'm not even supposed to talk to other Faunus. They don't want to risk people treating me like...like before..." She explained before the other could ask.

"I promise." The feline agreed simply, watching the wide grin the other gained. She slowly reached up and tugged off the bow, revealing the triangular black ears.

"They're so cute!" The canine exclaimed, bouncing on her knees atop her bed in excitement.

"And you?"

"Oh, right!" Suddenly reaching under her skirt seemed to startle the other, unclasping the harness while she had the chance. The bushy black tail, tipped with an almost black red, unwrapped from her hips with practiced ease as the 'clothing' fell to the bed. "I'm FREE!" Her voice was much like the yip of a puppy, high and happy...she actually did yip a moment later.

"A...dog?" The B asked, looking uneasy.

"A wolf." The R corrected, looking away in hopes it would make the other more comfortable and flopping onto her stomach. The tail waved happily from side to side, freedom felt like heaven.

"So that's what Yang's rules were about." The blade-user realized.

"Yep." The scythe-user couldn't help the grin she still had.

"Wait then...people pulled on your tail?" The grin fell as the tail moved to the left, suddenly hidden by the rest of the girl's body.

"Y-yeah..." Pulling wasn't all, though it had been the most painful.

"What you wear to hide your tail can't be comfortable." Blake's words caused her leader rolled so her back was to her, tail now between her legs and hugged to her chest.

"It's not...but it can't be worse than that bow. I'm not good at keeping my tail still when I'm emotional." Ruby whined at the start before getting her voice under control.

"Your Faunus parent should have helped-"

"She's not around." She cut off, listening to the silence that followed. "...Mom was a wolf like me, if I remember right she had a tail too. But she died when I was four, Dad and Uncle Qrow took over from there. Yang tries to help a lot too, more than them a lot of the time, but they're all humans...they only know so much." The canine's voice was soft, sad though no obvious sound of her heritage like before.

"I...I didn't know. I'm sorry." The feline apologized, her voice sincere but sad.

"No being sad for me." The younger insisted with a forced laugh. "It was eleven years ago, I've gotten used to it." Used to it, because she'd probably never get over it.

"So...everything you know about yourself is from them or learned on your own?" The older asked after several moments.

"Pretty much."

"Ruby, that's...that's not healthy for you." It was the first time she had heard her half-sister's partner concerned for her.

"I've managed." The silver eyed girl disagreed, hearing a sigh.

"Maybe so, but it won't be enough forever." A whine left her mouth. "...How about, whenever the others are gone, we hang out like this? Traits free, I'll tell you everything I remember since I grew up around a lot of different kinds of Faunus and you ask any questions you think of." She let go of her tail, allowing it a single hopeful swish.

"R-really?" The leader asked quietly, as if afraid too loud would destroy the moment.

"Of course. It'll be good for the both of us." The eared girl assured, probably not expecting the sudden ball of red slamming into her.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" The gushing and hugging probably wasn't her even more anti-social teammate's style, but she didn't push her away...until she licked her cheek.

"Ruby!" The black haired girl looked somewhat disgusted.

"Sorry!" The red tipped one quickly pulled away, darting back to her own bed. "I couldn't help it." The smile was sheepish.

"Just try not to do it again." A frantic nod, the ears atop the one girl's head twitching. "They're headed back." Without anymore warning they both pulled on their respective clothing to hide what they were, back to what they had been doing by the time the remains of the team entered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruby is so innocent she just admits to something hurting without thinking about it XD Yay for Blake growing up on Menagerie! Tai and Qrow are trying at least but it doesn't seem they're quite doing it right...
> 
> I have the headcanon that Yang was friends with Dove, Russel and Sky back at Signal. When Cardin became their leader and they showed how little they care about others she cut ties with them, which is why we never see her talk to or about her Signal friends again.
> 
> I've always have the headcanon that Beacon staff sort of expect their students to solve their problems by fighting... I mean, they're definitely proud if they DON'T, but this is a combat school so it's not like it's a surprise. This is why none of the professors are seen dealing with bullies


	2. Freed Binds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit to Vale to see the festival preparations (spy on possible competition in the tournament) is supposed to be fun, but it doesn't take long for it to all fall apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally planning to have a bunch of scenes showing Ruby and Blake's growing friendship, but ended up deciding on cutting them for now because a lot of them felt forced when I tried. So this ended up being a lot shorter than intended (puts this is a document type that counts words sees this chapter is only about 200 words less than the first one)...nvm. Hope you all enjoy.

Two and a half weeks since the Faunus members of Team RWBY truly found out about each other, their mutual allowance of showing their appendages when the other half wasn't around had certainly upped both of their moods. The red and black members had quickly become close friends, both seeing the other as important to them, and the more open communication had helped the younger learn so much more about her kind.

“The Vytal Festival!” Weiss said excitedly as the team stopped in front of a 'Welcome to Beacon' sign that was being hung up, holding her arms out to each side like she wanted to hug it. "Oh, this is absolutely wonderful!" She added, moving her hands to clasp against her chest while taking a deep breath. The wolf felt uncomfortable at best, last time she had been in the city (not including the few minute landing of the air ship that picked her and Yang up from Signal) was when she had fought Roman...her tail had been out back then, so hopefully he wouldn't recognize her now. Vale during the day was still something of a nightmare to her, considering the scents of so many people was easily overwhelming. She took a step back, glancing around as though readying for someone to grab the hidden tail and yank it.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much Weiss." Ruby stated, eyes suspiciously narrow and left hand on her hip...she winced away. "It's kinda weirding me out..." The administration was a little softer, but since the hieress spun around and glared slightly it wasn't soft enough.

"How could you NOT smile?" She asked in annoyance. "A festival dedicated to the cultures of world! There will be dances! Parades! A tournament!" The white haired girl waved her arms, energized movements so unlike her it was uncomfortable for the rest of them. A sudden twirl like a ballerina, jumping slightly forward more, the group continued onward. "Oh, the amount of planning and organization that goes into this event is simply breathtaking!” The blonde sighed, crossing her arms.

"You really know how to take a good thing and make it sound boring.” Yang pointed out, sounding annoyed...she probably didn't like how her half-sister obviously didn't want to be here.

"Quiet you!" The white wearer responded with a bit of clip to her voice, turning her head to face the other with a glare. It didn't take them long to get close to the docks, though the yellow and black partners had swapped sides behind the white while the red almost hid behind her half-sister. A fog horn going off suddenly made the tailed girl jump, gripping the sleeve of the one in front of her...lilac eyes looked back at her.

"Remind me again why we're spending our Friday afternoon visiting the stupid docks?” She demanded as the four walked towards the fence keeping them from falling into the water and staring at the ship.

"Ugh, they smell like fish." The youngest complained, pinching her nose with her free hand in hopes of keeping the scent out.

"I've heard that students visiting from Vacuo will be arriving by ship today." The blue eyed girl ignored her, turning back to them. "And as a representative of Beacon I feel as though it is my solemn duty to welcome them to this fine kingdom!” She added, spinning on her heel and walking once more towards the docks proper.

“She wants to spy on them so she'll have the upper hand in the tournament.” The cat stated, sounding somewhat annoyed...did she feel sorry for their leader? Said leader's partner scoffed and spun back to face them.

“You can't prove that!” A gentle tug on the sleeve was enough to get the attention of the strongest member, the fastest pointing off to the side. A dust shop at the end of the street had been attacked it seemed, and RWBY went to see what had happened. Soon they found out it had been robbed, but only of dust rather than money...one officer questioned his partner if it he thought it was the White Fang, and the day suddenly got much worse. In moments the monochromatic teammates were arguing, the gold eyed girl's bow twitching ever so slightly as she obviously tried not to flatten her ears while the other of the pair made her distaste for the more animal-like race cruelly apparent. The brawler looked down when she noticed her half-sister's almost silent whimper during the fight.

"I smell pumpkins...like that Torchwick guy I ran into a few months ago." The smaller admitted softly, her half-sister messing affectionately with her hair.

"The police never caught the guy Ruby fought a few months ago, the one that got her into Beacon early...I think his name was Torchwick." The tallest pointed out, knowing better than to point out her sister picking up the scent. "Maybe it was him." Perfect way to stop the argument...except that it didn't.

“That still doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum. Those Faunus only know how to lie, cheat, and steal.” 

"Hey, stop that Faunus!" A man called from the dock, distracting the girls too much to notice the whine from one of them.

_Why?_ The timing honestly couldn't be worse. A stow-away blond monkey Faunus, apparently, who eventually ran past them...the scent was definitely monkey, and warm like sunlight on a chilly day. The four teenagers ran after him with only a few moments of hesitation, the Schnee running headlong into a girl in her haste around a corner.

"Uuuhh...Weiss?" The usually mischievous member questioned when the more stuck-up member cried out about losing their 'target'. She looked up, seeing a finger pointing, and looked down before pulling away from the girl in a panic. What followed was perhaps the most awkward social interaction the often cheerful girl had witnessed, same for the others considering their reactions. The girl's name was Penny, she was here to fight in the tournament and apparently they were friends now...she smelt of metal like Pyrrha, but not quite the same, and dust. She hadn't even left before there was another Faunus are/aren't all evil argument, the the cat storming off before the foolish girl followed after to continue the argument.

~Later That Night, In RWBY's Room~

It had been hours but Blake and Weiss were still arguing, hadn't stopped actually, the silver eyed girl clinging to her half-sister and whining so loud she surely would have been heard if not for the arguing itself.

"I'm a victim!” Weiss cried out suddenly. “You want to know why I despise the White Fang? Why I don't particularly trust the Faunus?" She turned her back to them, looking out the window. “It's because they've been at war with my family for years. War, as in actual bloodshed. My grandfather's company has had a target painted across its back for as long as I can remember. And ever since I was a child, I've watched family friends disappear; board members executed; an entire train car full of Dust, stolen. And every day my father would come home, furious. And that made for a very difficult childhood.” She pounded her first on the bookshelf as her partner cautiously walked to her side and put a hand soothingly on her shoulder.

"Weiss, I-" She tried.

"No!" The heiress snarled, turning to face the bowed girl again and walking to be across from her as she spoke. “You want to know why I despise the White Fang?! It's because they're a bunch of liars! Thieves! And murderers!”

"We'll maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!” The cat practically screamed with a furious glare, the white wearing human backing away in horror while the rest of the team froze. Gold eyes filled with panic darted to lilac and silver before backing away. "-I-" She ran out of the suddenly open door.

"Blake! Wait! Come back!" The leader cried out as she ran to the door, her sister falling to the wooden chair at the desk in shock...the girl didn't come back, the youngest's eyes filling with tears and body shaking. The other Faunus wasn't coming back, the only one who understood her wasn't coming back...she was stuck with only humans all over again, no one to answer her questions or assure that she wasn't some awful freak among her kind.

"Ruby-" Hearing Yang's voice, angry because she had kept the older Faunus' secret, finally pushed her too far.

"You!" The scythe-user snarled dangerously, spinning on her heel to face her partner as aura flowed into her tail until it broke free of the confines. The suddenly visible tail stood up straight, the owner's lips pulled back to show slightly sharper fangs than a human and an enraged expression. "HOW DARE YOU!!!" She howled, not caring that she revealed herself or looked more animal than human right now. The girl with red tipped hair jumped up and grabbed the dufflebag with civilian clothes hanging from a hook added to the end of her bedframe and ran out of the room without further response.

The tears spilling from the young girl's eyes kept her from being able to see, the mucus blocking a surprising amount of smells...it was impossible to track like this, but she wasn't going back there. Her brain was so angry she couldn't even remember how to get out of the school, darting into an empty room and changing (stuffing her usual clothes and Crescent Rose into the duffle bag and slinging it onto her back) before heading for the exit with a slightly clearer mind. When her scroll went off she saw it was Dad, ignoring it and sending a quick text to her half-sister to tell her she wasn't coming back without their teammate before shutting it off and stuffing it into the pocket of the black track pants she wore.

By the time the leader made it to the statue in front of the school the one she was looking for was long gone, but there was no way she'd have hidden somewhere here so it was off to Vale.

~Two Days Later~

"Blake?" Ruby was well and truly exhausted, not having slept since Thursday night, and getting food was more difficult with her tail out since several places here refused to let Faunus even enter. Her body felt sluggish, she couldn't even lift her tail and vision a little blurred, but she could still smell...so many people and not familiar enough a place left tracking impossible, but hopefully she'd eventually get close and pick up the smell. "Blake...where are you?" Ruby whined softly as she walked through downtown Vale, rubbing at her eyes in hopes of clearing her vision a bit.

"Ruby?" Her head snapped to the side at the voice as she stopped, but the scent revealed it wasn't who she was looking for.

"Oh...hi Penny." Wait...had the orange haired girl seen her tail from the ground when they met? Considering all she had were black track pants with a deep brown line down each side and a black hoodie visible that was really the only answer, a pair of runners not unlike a certain human leader she was fond of replaced the boots while thick sunglasses with a dark brown tint kept her eyes from view. A brown beanie hid the hair currently tied under it, as a procaution if the hood fell down. The wolf was too exhausted to really care how she knew, starting to walk again.

"Is something wrong? You don't look well." The other asked in concern as she kept pace with the likely younger, but her scent didn't change...that was weird.

"Tired." The girl with red tipped hair murmured without thinking, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. "Hungry." She added as an afterthought, hoping to make the likely older worry less.

"If you're tired you should return to Beacon and rest. If you're hungry you should eat." The voice only got more worried, it wasn't like those were hard answers.

"Gotta find Blake." The tailed girl disagreed, shaking her head to clear the blur of her vision a little. "Won't sell to Faunus." There was a horrified sounding gasp from the girl beside her.

"They won't sell food to you?" The green eyed girl repeated, getting a more obvious shake of the head as response...she must have been from somewhere that people were kinder to the animal-like people, maybe Vacuo. A blink from the other and she was gone.

_...Am I starting to hallucination?_ That was a concern that could wait until she was with her Faunus teammate...she had been walking around for two days straight, it couldn't take much longer. The silver eyed girl had gone a block before the metal and dust smelling girl appeared beside her again.

"Wolves like meat, correct?" The moment the question finished a hyper sensitive nose picked up the smell of burger patties, several of them, though it seemed the bun and everything else was absent. Turning to the side found the curious girl with a large take-out bag in hand.

"Oh my dust, yes!" The speedster yipped happily, tail swishing from side to side like mad as her left arm shooting out to grab within the open bag. Tearing the paper wrapping away revealed a freshly cooked patty, which was proceeded to be devoured along with thirty or so more (it looked like all the fresh patties from a local burger place)...she didn't realize how hungry she was until she bit into the first one, but two nights without sleep will do that. "Thank you Penny!" The red tipped tail's owner licked the cheek of the one she thanked. The odd smelling girl seemed surprised, but didn't protest, laughing instead.

"You're most welcome Ruby." The green wearing girl smiled widely. "Now, you said something about the Faunus girl?" She added quietly, watching the Faunus pull away with a nod and tail fell motionless against her legs again.

"How did you...nevermind." Now wasn't the time to ask questions like that.

"So, where is she?"

"I don't know." The scythe-user admitted in an unhappy growl, squatting a bit in hopes of helping her limbs feel less heavy now that she had food. "She's been missing since Friday." Another gasp, just as horrified as she last.

"And you've been looking for her since?" Somehow slightly shorter questioned.

"Without stopping." The younger confirmed.

"That's terrible! Well don't you worry Ruby, my friend! I won't rest until we find your teammate!" At some point the older had grabbed onto her arms, almost like another hug, though the sleep-deprived mind hadn't noticed until now, before pulling back with hands on her hips and a look of determination.

"Uh, that's really nice of you Penny, uh..." The silver eyed girl blinked and stumbled a little over her words, not expecting the offer. "But you-you've done enough for me today." The full belly would do a great deal in continuing the search, though the other frowned...there probably wasn't a point in continuing to argue.

~An Hour Later~

"So, is Blake your friend?" Penny asked as they continued to comb the city, no sign of their target or WY (the leader had expected that of her partner but not half-sister and didn't know how to feel about that)...at least the orange haired girl seemed to have a good grasp of the town, considering the one with her hadn't honestly been here very often.

"Yes Penny." Ruby responded without hesitation.

"But you're mad at her?" She waved her hands to either side like some sweeping motion, as though it would help explain the answer.

"I'm not, Weiss is." She clarified with a soft whimper, a sad gesture towards Beacon behind them. _At both of us. And Yang is too._ The sleepy mind added bitterly.

"Is SHE friends with Blake?" The green eyed girl had such innocence her friend couldn't bring herself to be mad or annoyed at the questions.

"Well, that's kinda up in the air right now." The silver eyed girl replied. _A lot of things are...like how much trouble I'm going to be in after this. And if I'll be allowed to stay at Beacon._ Not that any such worries mattered more than finding Blake.

"But, why?" The orange haired girl sounded so very confused...the other sighed.

"Well you see, Blake might not be who Weiss thought she was." It came out almost a pitiful whine before another gasp came from the one at her side.

"Is she a man?" The older whispered after leaning in, causing her friends to stifle a snort of laughter and tail to wag a bit.

"No, no Penny. She's..." The smile fell off the younger girl's face, tail falling again. "...she's a Faunus, the same as me."

"Weiss didn't know?"

"She doesn't like Faunus." A sigh, letting out a quiet whimper before regaining herself. "What's important is finding her." With that the duo continued their search.

~Night Time~

The wolf honestly felt like she was going to pass out, but refused to stop or rest despite her friend's attempts to convince her. She had to find Blake, no matter how long it took. She NEEDED Blake. The explosion was sudden, drawing the attention of both, who turned to see black smoke rising into the night sky.

"Oh no..." It was at the docks, Ruby could still smell the fish from hehe. _It has to be Blake!_ She had no idea why she was so certain, but she darted passed the other girl she was with as fast as she could with almost no aura left towards her new target nonetheless...if the odd smelling girl called anything after her she didn't hear it, heart hammering in her ears. Getting onto a rooftop overlooking the docks took longer than she wanted as she struggled to pull her weapon from the duffle bag in her panic, but she didn't really care when she saw her teammate and the monkey Faunus from Friday fighting Torchwick. "Hey!" The tailed girl called, hoping to get the criminal's attention when she saw the cane pointed at the blond boy, slamming Cresent Rose into the roof by her blade when they turned to look in hopes of some intimidation...the man looked confused for a few seconds, she wasn't wearing the red cape she had got that night so it must have threw him off.

"Oh, hello Red!" The green eyed man grinned maliciously, her night vision made it more than apparent even with the only light not anywhere near him. "Isn't it past your bedtime?" He mocked, earning a loud growl despite him being too far away to hear it.

"Ruby?" When did pink bow wearer get on the roof? "Are these people your friends?"

"Penny, get back!" Was the only answer, the one she spoke to looking back at her...it was enough of a distraction for him to shoot, since a sudden explosion directly in front of the silver eyed girl sent her flying back with a cry. The older stepped in the way, catching her to halt her backward momentum...without enough aura to bring up for defense her entire front hurt now (her back felt like it slammed into a steel wall for some reason), nose filled with the smell of fire dust. The non-Faunus girl gently sat her on the roof, pulling away before taking a step forward. "Penny, wait! Stop!" The hooded girl throwing her left arm out didn't help, her friend was already beyond her reach.

"Don't worry Ruby." The freckled girl glance back with a smile before returning her attention to off the roof. "I'm combat ready!" Eight blades came from the backpack on the more proper looking girl's back as it unfolded, their owner jumping off the three story building as though it was completely normal. What followed could really only be described as some sort of massacre, though all to protect the innocent...laser beams tore through White Fang and airships alike, one being pulled down by the blades. It probably would have been a horrific sight, but the girl with red tipped hair was barely conscious enough to see what she could let alone hear or smell the damages. When only two airships remained, flying off, she passed out.

~A While Later~

"-y!" Ruby twitched slightly as a familiar sound drew her from her slumber, curling into the warmth against her head without much thought...her legs had been dangling off of something though.

"Please quiet down." That was Penny's voice, coming from her left, though hearing it didn't make the wolf any more inclined to move. She was too tired.

"Penny said she hasn't slept since she left to find me." That was Blake, right above her! They'd actually found her! She wanted to move, show her teammate how happy she was to know she was really okay, but her body refused to move.

"Geez Sis." Yang sighed from somewhere...below her? "Thought you'd know better than to push yourself like that." The blonde sounded disappointed but highly relieved.

"...Is she with them?" Weiss's voice came from somewhere near her half-sister, cold and yet almost strained. "The White Fang."

"What?! No!" The cat immediately almost hissed at the question, as though it somehow offended the immobile girl. "How could you even think that about her?!" That one was a hiss...it took a second for her to calm down, but the injured girl didn't know why she had in the first place. "Neither am I anymore-"

"Stop." And she did. "Do you have any idea how long we've been searching for you?" The white haired human questioned in annoyance, getting no answer. "Twelve hours. Would have been far longer if I hadn't convince Yang that Ruby was old enough and strong enough to be out here alone, and that she needed to learn the town on her own anyway."

_Oh...that's why Yang wasn't looking for me._ The tailed girl realized.

"That means I've had twelve hours to think about you, and far more about her. And I've decided..." The blue eyed girl continued, only to pause. "I don't care!" By dust she sounded irritated.

"You don't care?" The black haired one repeated, obviously confused.

"You said you're not one of them anymore, right?"

"No, I-I haven't been since I was younger-"

"Upupupupup!" The heeled human interupted, clearly trying to stop the other from continuing. "I don't wanna hear it. All I want to know, is the next time something this big comes up..." That pause had to be for dramatic affect. "You'll come to your teammates, and not some...someone else." Well, she hadn't insulted the monkey again, so that was probably a plus.

"Of course" The gold eyed girl assured, smelling like a tear had been about to fall. "...And Ruby?" She questioned, voice almost protective as a hand was placed on the youngest's forehead.

"I'd prefer you not cause our leader to break that harness or whatever and chase after you without us again. Three days out here with no sleep and her tail out can't have gotten her much food either." Was the hooded girl's partner actually worried about her?

"Yeah! Team RWBY is back together!" The lilac eyed girl cheered...that was all the Faunus could handle of being awake, as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how I managed to make Penny into even more of a Cinnamon Roll than the show (adorable and innocent and just wants to help people), especially since I barely described their meeting, but apparently I did. Less description of the movement people are making while speaking during the second half is entirely because of how tired Ruby is and how little she's actually noticing.
> 
> So...am I the only one who feels Ruby is being a little 'Ladybug'y here? I don't know why, I don't even SHIP Ladybug! I feel like it might be happening whether I necessarily want it to or not...could just be me though, despite the feelsy or tragic way I write I'm actually a romantic at heart. See you all soon!
> 
> Oh, and in case it wasn't obvious; Ruby is on the same crate as Blake, with her head on her lap.


	3. Food for Thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one ever said being a Faunus was easy, but deal with instincts have never been this hard. Friends in the know and a foot fight are supposed to be harmless, aren't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea why, exactly, I expected this story to be a six-shot with a season per chapter mindset...it still COULD, but then the chapters would be far too long for my liking. So here, have a 13-or-so-shot instead. My writing style may have changed some here, most of it I wrote while repeatedly rewatching the episode I needed.

"Sooooo..." Jaune dragged out the word, as if trying to figure out exactly what he wanted to say...it had been a few days since the incident at the docks, though the aura-drained girl had slept for over a day; her teammates had quickly come up with an excuse for why she wasn't in class on Monday. "Blake...is a Faunus?" He just ended up repeating what the all female team had told him and his own.

"Yes." Blake confirmed, wiggling her bow to prove it.

"And so is Ruby?" Pyrrha asked, getting a nervous nod from the wolf. After the fight and incident at the docks had been relayed to her dad and uncle, thanks to her sister, there had been over a day of silence from the two men...she had been whining the whole time but even her partner didn't really complain, they had no idea what was going to happen and it was fair for their leader to be so worried. In the end the adults decided that if she had managed to get a Schnee to care and hide her secret than the silver eyed girl could tell anyone she felt comfortable with, so long as they weren't Faunus; considering she hadn't been forced home and still had Blake she wasn't about to complain.

"Yep! My sis is a little wolf." Yang grinned, obviously happy to have people outside the family in on their secret.

"Forgive me, but...I don't see any Faunus trait..." The redhead of JNPR pointed out hesitantly. The girl with red tipped hair looked at her half-sister, getting a shrug.

"Up to you." The blonde girl said simply. The younger bit her lip softly...she wanted to show them, but past experience showing humans didn't exactly fill her with confidence.

"You don't have to do it if it makes you feel uncomfortable Ruby." The cat assured her, getting a shake of the head.

"I wanna." The scythe-user stated, taking a breath and shoving her left hand under her skirt, not noticing that the fellow leader had stepped closer (probably to place a comforting hand on her shoulder) but jumped back at the unexpected movement. The old leather harness had been replaced by one of metal, completely surrounding the tail with an inch or so between the soft inner fabric and her tail itself, ruffled white fabric hanging from small hooks attached to the metal outside so it blended with the ruffles of her school skirt...Weiss had given the other Faunus of the team the money to buy it when their brawler mentioned their dad was making a new one and the cat hissed, explaining that the leather binds were uncomfortable and bound to break; from there the two Faunus had went to a place that specialized in disguising as a human, both making sure to look different from their huntress selves. A flick of the latch keeping the tip of the metal harness attached to the start caused the hinges to unfreeze as the 'toy snake' like structure followed the natural motions of her tail unwrapping from the waist, two more latches keeping it held to a thin but durable belt hidden below the skirt and with two flicks the metal clanked to the floor.

"A tail..." The spear-user gasped as it twitched, the shocked looks making the owner restless.

"It's so cute!" Nora exclaimed with a squeal, almost seeming to appear at the side of the younger Faunus and crouching down before grabbing the appendage. "It's not as soft as I thought it would be..." She stated, not seeming to notice the caped girl had frozen with terriefied eyes.

"Nora." Ren called after a few moments, his friend's head snapping to look at him...he simply pointed to the the younger and made the attention go to her.

"Ah!" The orange haired girl jumped back with a panicked noise, her own eyes wide. "What'd I do?!"

"Sorry about that." The black haired girl had moved to her leader's side as her partner spoke, scratching behind her ear in hopes of calming her. "Back before Signal human kids would pull and abuse her tail all the time, so Sis panicked the moment you touched it." The blue eyed boy frowned as his little friend pulled her tail to her side and away from his teammate, though she had begun nuzzling her own teammate's hand.

"People would hurt her tail?" He questioned, getting a sad nod.

"She'd cry out that it hurt, but they'd never stop...not until I punched them out anyway." Small arms wrapped around the tail as it moved up against her chest, holding it protectively.

"That's awful." The green eyed girl stated with her own horrified expression. "Though, that does explain what happened with Cardin..."

"Yeah, I sorta...remembered Ruby like that and lost it a little." A nervous grin and chuckle agreed.

"...I'm sorry." Everyone looked at the blue eyed girl, her usual happy-go-lucky look replaced by one of wisdom beyond her age. "I..." She trailed off and looked to the side, an awkward silence filling the room.

"...Do you...still think it's cute?" Ruby questioned softly after several moment, the other girl looking at her in confusion. "Even though it's not as soft as you thought." She clarified, smiling a bit when a huge grin appeared.

"It's the cutest tail ever!" Nora insisted, turning to look at her partner. "Right Ren?" She demanded, getting a nod and slight smile before turning back to Team RWBY. "If Ren agrees it's basically official." She boasted, causing everyone to laugh.

"The fur of my tail tends to get all matted when it's in a harness. I was thinking that..." The youngest bit her lip, looking down nervously and more uncomfortable than before. "That...maybe you could help me take care of it?" Her eyes slowly moved to look at those of the orange haired girl.

"Of course!" The other practically vibrated with excitement. "What d'ya need?"

"The black wire brush on the bookshelf." The hyper girl had left the room before the sentence even finished, darting to the room across the hall.

"Are you sure about this?" The gold eyed girl asked, a worried frown on her face.

"I gotta get used to humans touching my tail eventually, right?" Her partner's half-sister reminded her.

"Well, yes..." The ribboned girl agreed hesitantly. "...and I suppose it is best to 'practice' on your own terms..." She added, getting a nod. "If you're comfortable with it. If not it's okay for you to pull away though."

"Nora won't get mad." The armoured boy confirmed, getting a grateful smile from both Faunus. A series of crashing and smashing noises came from the hall, drawing everyone's attention.

"Ruby...did you leave our door unlocked?" Weiss asked after a moment.

"Why would-" A horrified look covered the small girl's face.

"Nora broke our door down." Yang laughed, not nearly as worried as the rest of her team obviously were...it stopped at the high pitched whine.

"I'm sorry..." The white haired girl gave a sigh.

"The professors are all aware of your heritage, right?" A nod answered the question. "Then I'm sure Professor Goodwitch won't be too upset. You ARE just trying to get more comfortable around humans after all." She waved off the worries, immediately easing the room and stopping the irritating sound.

"Found it!" Came a call from across the hall, and despite the possible trouble everyone laughed again.

~A Month Later~

The two weeks until the end of the first semester passed by quickly, the two weeks of vacation seemed to do the same...it was the last day of vacation, yet the team had hardly spent much quality time together; the Faunus/humans or partners given time while the team as a whole was only in class or before bed. The wolf had been in JNPR's room frequently as well, getting used to her hyper friend brushing her tail (the cat always went with her). The realization that she had hardly spent any time with her sister hit like an Ursa, leaving her without breath and quickly beginning to plan a countermeasure...a day for the whole team. It took just under an four hours for her to write down all the possible plans and times, well over 1000 double sided papers by the time she was done; after a moment of thought she emptied the hieress' 'Vytal Festival Activities' binder and put them in there, dashing off to find her team.

Reaching the cafeteria didn't take long, WBY sitting side by side at a table by the window and team JNPR across from them. The 'thump' of the binder hitting the table got their attention (for a second the black haired girl almost looked terrified). She cleared her throat, beginning to gesture with her hands.

"Sisters. Friends. Weiss." Was the feline still just a friend, or more of a sister now? It wasn't the time to think about that.

"Hey!" Weiss cried out as though offended, only to get a playful smile in return.

"Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream." Ruby began dramatically, catching the cookie thrown at her like a frisbee from Nora and stuffing it into her mouth once certain it was edible (they were chocolate chip with bacon bits! Just like Mom used to make!)

"This oughta be good." Yang said sarcastically, looking over at her partner...her half-sister caught and engulfed another cookie and looked at her team.

"A dream that one day, the four of us would come together," The girl with red tipped hair moved her hands to look like she was begging, a hopeful expression in her eyes "as a TEAM, and have the most fun anyone has ever had...ever!" At some point her hands had moved to excited gestures, tail wagging within its restraint.

"Did you steal my binder?" The white haired girl asked in annoyance, glaring at her partner. Both hands of the one she spoke to were immediately held up in 'peace signs'.

"I am not a crook." The leader stated quickly.

"What are you talking about?" Blake questioned in clear confusion.

"I'm talking about kicking off the semester with a bang!" The silver eyed girl explained, shooting a 'finger gun' at B.

"I always kick my semesters off with a Yang!" The blonde girl exclaimed proudly, waiting a moment for someone to laugh. "Eh? Guys? Am I right?" An apple colliding with her face didn't surprise her so much as annoy her, glaring at the orange haired girl across from her.

"Booooo!" Nora called.

"Look guys, it's been a good two weeks, and between more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year, our second semester is going to be great!" The younger Faunus smiled, but it fell after a moment. "But classes start up again tomorrow, and we've hardly had time as a team. Which is why I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today!" Holding her hands out to the binder showed them exactly what she meant.

“I don't know whether to be proud or scared of what you have in store.” The blue eyed girl admitted cautiously, the lilac eyed one picking up the apple from earlier and throwing it at the girl across the table, only to miss and hit another student instead. (Nora wasn't even five feet from her, how did she miss?!)

"I don't know." The golden eyed girl paused, looking away from their leader. "I think I might sit this one out." She sounded tired, the hidden tail stopping it's motion.

"Sit out or not, I think however we spend this last day, we should do it as a team." The leader's partner agreed. "I for one think that-" She was cut off by a pie hitting her face, the team all snapping their heads to look across the table.

Within moments one miss-thrown pie had escalated to a full on food fight, something that seemed unimaginable yet worked well with aura and fighting styles...it was a surprisingly good teamwork practice, wilderness weapon gathering (they had to use food as makeshift weapons or a metal pole and watermelon in the case of Nora) and far more fun than normal sparing. It probably would have stayed all fun and games; had Weiss not been knocked into and through a pillar in the cafeteria, leaving the wolf to catch her unconscious form.

"Weiss. Weiss! Don't leave me!" Panic quickly grew, unrealistic and consuming. An animalistic howl left the young girl's mouth, pained and angry as the remains of the pillar collapsed.

"I...think we went too far..." Jaune pointed out softly, backing away with an 'eep' when his fellow leader looked at him with narrow eyes and lips pulled back in a snarl.

"Much too far." Ren agreed, taking a few steps away of his own as the hieress was carefully placed on the floor.

"Sis?" The brawler questioned, getting no answer as her half-sister slowly stood. "Blake, what's going on?!" She demanded.

"Her...her instincts must have mistaken Weiss for actually hurt." The ribbon wearer tried to explain. "We are Ruby's pack, and as our Alpha she is to protect us...if that doesn't work then get rid of anyone who harms us." The latch holding the harness around the cloaked girl's waist was flicked, tail immediately falling into position. Two steps and she was in the air, semblance activating as she spun sideways like some pinwheel. The tail kept her trajectory correct, moving slightly in the air, wind from the speed of the spinning picking up food from the floor and cans that had scattered. She fell to the ground just before hitting the far wall, JNPR slamming into it...along with everything the sideways tornado had picked up, covering the other team with colours of many foods and drinks.

"...That was awesome Ruby!" Her half-sister grinned, either not noticing or ignoring the canine's body twitch with each deep breath. It wasn't long before Professor Goodwitch showed up the clean everything up, looking displeased again...the young Faunus dashed over to block the unconscious girl when the woman attempted to check on her, snapping her teeth and snarling while hunched over the other like a protective animal with her tail almost straight up.

~A Little Over An Hour Later~

It had taken until her partner regained consciousness for the wolf to calm down and return to her senses, even the other members of her team hadn't been able to get close without a deep warning growl...the white haired girl hadn't been happy with being treated like an 'injured puppy' and glared heavily until she was let up, dusting off her clothes before storming out. The leader ended up in a lot of trouble for showing her tail so carelessly, since anyone else could have been in the room without her noticing at the time, and in even more trouble for almost attacking the deputy headmistress. She wasn't allowed to leave Beacon, that meaning the school building and dorms in this case, until their first field mission...which threw a far bigger wrench into the 'best day ever' plan than her freak out or one of her teammates storming off. Sulking on her bed and whining was about all she wanted to do after the disaster that was supposed to be playful fun, but of course her half-sister wouldn't hear any of it and forced her to the library to play World of Remnant like the plan had said (after changing into their combat clothes so their uniforms could be washed after the food fight).

"Isn't that supposed to be a four player game?" Jaune's sudden question startled the young girl, who hadn't even known he was there in her sulking.

"Missing Vacuo. She's all huffy and refuses to play." Yang explained with an uncaring wave of her hand, like one of their members refusing to spend time with them was nothing new (to be fair it sometimes wasn't, considering who they were talking about).

"Can I play?" The boy asked hopefully, moving his hands to beg.

"I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!" The pun-maker grinned at her awful impersonation of the heiress, neither remaining members laughed. "Geez...tough crowd today." She grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Come on, just for one turn! You've trusted me with WAY more important stuff before!" The blue eyed boy reminded them. "I mean you told us all how Ruby and Blake are secretly Fau-"

"Fun loving people who we all admire and respect!" Luckily Pyrrha knew him well enough at this point to cover his mouth the moment before he said too much, quickly completing his sentence before the situation got worse...he laughed awkwardly.

"That would be why." The female blonde pointed out.

"Right..." The male blond agreed with another nervous laugh. "Ladies..." He bowed suddenly, causing his fellow leader to blink. "...enjoy your battle." With that he went back to his table, which was apparently directly beside team RBY's.

"'Sup Losers?" And now the monkey (Blake said his name was Sun) was on the other side of the table, behind the feline with a large grin and doing a 'peace' symbol with one hand.

"Hey Sun." The words left Ruby's mouth without thought, she didn't really care about all this right now.

"Ruby, Yang, Blake." Did the black haired girl tell him her partner's name while she was missing? They certainly hadn't had any time to see him since the docks, too busy with their own things...and the youngest still wasn't supposed to be talking to other Faunus.

"I never got a chance to formally introduce you to my old friend." Sun explained, gesturing to the blue haired boy beside him.

"Dude...it's got nothing to do with formally, we've never met." He pointed out. "... Aren't libraries for reading?"

"Thank you!" Ren's voice called from the other side.

"Pancakes!" Nora yelped sleepily, apparently her partner had awoken her.

"Shut up. Don't be a nerd." The black eyed boy grumbled.

"Geh, geh, geh, geh! Intellectual. Okay. Thank you." His friend disagreed, turning to wave at the group. "I'm Neptune."

"So, Neptune, where ya from?" The brawler asked curiously.

"Haven." He responded immediately.

"...Where's-" The other boy began, getting cut off by the yellow wearer.

"Don't know." The lilac girl quickly responded.

"Huh..." His lack of response made it clear he hadn't been expecting that. "I was...kinda hoping to introduce him to everyone."

"Some other time I guess."

"Well, uh...I never really took you as the board-game-playing type!" The shaggy blond's attention was brought back to the gold eyed Faunus, her leader stiffening...

 _Just because he spent three days with Blake and fought some guys he thinks they're friends now?!_ Her inner wolf howled in disgust and possessiveness. _If he wants to befriend her he need my per-_ "I'm not feeling well." She stated suddenly, needing to stop that more instinctual thought before it got any further.

"Ruby?" The usually cheerful blonde looked at her with a worried frown.

"I'm gonna...go lie down." The red wearer hadn't meant to stand so fast, it seemed like she was angry (she was, but they didn't need to know that). She didn't bother waiting for an answer, walking out.

~In RWBY's room~

The wolf jumping up to her bed was far too familiar an action compared to the sudden strength of her instincts today, unlatching her harness before hanging it from the inside of the curtains. The cape was hung on the bedframe, curtains pulled closed in case the cat brought the monkey and his friend to their room; she doubted that would happen though, since the whole team was well aware that she wasn't supposed to talk to other Faunus...it was better safe than sorry, curling up while hidden by the curtains and covered by her blanket was more relaxing that had been expected.

"Ruby?" The tailed girl hadn't expected her sister's partner to enter just a few minutes after she laid down. She could answer, but she really didn't feel like talking. Her instincts were too strong, too confusing, and the other girl wouldn't be getting such protective and possessive instincts at all since cats were loner animals...there was nothing to help with. "I...I hope you feel better." The gold eyed girl sat on her own bed, and despite not being tired just minutes before the leader fell into slumber; feeling unbelievably more comfortable with the older girl in the room.

~The Next Day~

The young leader wasn't entirely sure HOW her team decided they'd be doing everything they can to stop the forces of evil in Vale, but it had happened while she was sleeping and since her partner agreed she couldn't use the 'voice of reason' against them...even if this did feel like a bad idea when she wasn't always in control of herself, if not for that she wouldn't have had a problem. Jaune had tried to ask a surprisingly distracted Weiss on a date during the end of Port's class, which caused the same possessive thoughts as the day before for her half-sister's partner (to a mildly lesser extent) and she had to stop a snarl when she walked passed him.

Once back in their room the four girls changed into clothes that didn't have their marks (except Ruby but it was half covered anyway), the half-sisters going for small amounts of their usual colours while their partners were both in strict white and black.

"Why can't I go with Blake?" Ruby whined after the plan she had no part in making was explained to her, tugging restlessly at her harness.

"Torchwick said he and the White Fang are working together, so he might be at the faction meeting...both times you fought him you had your tail out, he'd recognize you. And even if he's not there some of the ones at the dock might be, or told the others about you...your tail is pretty unique looking." Blake explained, causing another whine.

"Black ears aren't uncommon at all, so it's not likely someone will recognize Blake on that alone. You'll be coming with me to the CCT." Weiss agreed. "I'm sure you'll be excited once we get there."

"We already have to sneak you out Sis, I wouldn't complain." Yang pointed out...another whine, it felt like she was suddenly being treated like a child who couldn't understand the concept of listening. "Anyway, let's do this!"

"Yeah!" Everyone's head snapped to the window except the youngest, seeing a certain monkey hanging upside down on the tree branch outside.

"Hi Sun." The silver eyed girl said simply as BW both screeched in surprise, the lilac eyed girl scooting over to her side.

"Why didn't you say anything?" She demanded quietly, the others continuing to talk amongst themselves.

"It would have been weird if I noticed him with my back turned when none of you did." The other explained softly. "...I thought Blake would have heard him." She added. "Neptune's on the ledge outside the window."

"So, are we finally getting back at that Torchwick guy?" The monkey questioned, flipping easily into the room.

"WE..." The cat hissed, taking a step forward. "are going to investigate the situation. As a team." She gestured to the other girls.

"We don't want to get others involved if we don't have to." The canine's human side said she should apologize, but he shouldn't be here so she ignored it.

"We're friends!" He argued, her lips twitching as she held back a snarl at his assumption.

"Not even friends. That's why we didn't tell JNPR." The blonde girl explained (why wasn't Weiss disagreeing to being called his friend?! She was insulting him heavily a few weeks ago!).

"Pfft, that's dumb. You should always get friends involves." The tailed boy disagreed with a mischievous grin. "That's why I brought Neptune." He added, pointing his thumb back out the window.

"Told you." The girl with red tipped hair growled, almost inaudible. The white haired girl, who had yet to meet the mentioned boy, poked her head out the window.

"'Sup." Neptune said the moment she did.

"How did you even get up here?" She asked curiously.

"I have my ways." The blue haired boy responded.

 _If he's always with Sun he'd have to learn to keep up._ The scythe-user clarified in her own mind.

"Seriously though, can I come in?" He asked nervously. "We're like, REALLY high up right now." After pulling him in the two Haven students were brought into the plan since they already knew, and she actually did snarl when the Faunus boy exclaimed he was going with the older Faunus girl.

"She getting all protective now?" He asked knowingly, his 'partner' nodding.

"It seems to have started." The ex-White Fang member agreed, another snarl from the youngest Faunus' throat at being kept out of some loop. "I'll explain after." And just like that the duo of 17 year old Faunus were gone...the rest left after a few moments.

~At Beacon Tower~

It took a light grey hat that covered all her hair, sunglasses and a staff member who didn't see her very often for the wolf to get near the large tower without being caught.

"It isn't as big as Atlas', since that was the first one, but I suppose it's still impressive." Weiss sounded rather proud, as she always did when she spoke of her home...why she was HERE instead baffled the other.

"Um...yeah." Ruby agreed simply, not really paying attention. She normally would have been excited at the chance of seeing the tower up close for the first time, but the fact that she had snuck out only to go to the tower Ozpin's office was in put her extremely on edge.

"Will you pay attention?" The heiress demanded, clearly annoyed. "The only reason WE'RE here is because YOU like the tower so much." A quick gesture beside them. "We could have just as easily made a call from the library."

"I get that you're probably trying to make me feel better after yesterday, and I'm grateful, but...doesn't this plan seem sorta dumb?" She crossed her arms before motioning for the other to continue. "It's just..." The wolf began, lowing her voice. "We sneak me out only to basically bring me straight to Professor Ozpin's office." She pointed out softly, watching as her partner's mouth fell open.

"I..." The fact that she didn't have any response proved to the younger that she had been convinced of this plan.

"Who came up with this?"

"Yang." That made sense.

"Weiss, no offense for you agreeing, the thing is...Yang's definition of subtly is punching down a wall. She isn't exactly good at making sneaky plans." The silver eyed girl explained. "She DID wreck a club just hoping to get info on something." She reminded, hearing the one beside her groan. "Don't feel bad! Yang is really persuasive when she wants to be, especially when I'm involved."

"I feel..." The blue eyed girl trailed off, though the sound of her voice implied at least being disappointed in herself.

"It's not your fault, really." The younger assured, forcing a smile...if the other noticed something off about it she didn't say anything. "I'm gonna call Yang, see if she can sent Neptune over to help you instead. I'll go to her." The dark haired girl pulled out her scroll only to fumble as soon as it was out, her nerves from being so close to the people who had given out her punishment making her drop it. "Ah!" The device skipped across the ground a little ways, landing at black covered feet.

"Oh..." A familiar voice spoke softly before crouching down to grab what had fallen, the Faunus instinctively breathing through her noise to pick up the matching scent. "You dropped this-" The green eyed girl held out the scroll as soon as she righted herself, a polite smile on her face.

"Penny?!" The leader asked, surprised but delighted to see the other girl.

"Uh..." Penny breathed, suddenly looking panicked.

"Where have you been?" The red wearer growled, almost immediately annoyed with the look. "We haven't seen you since the night at the docks." She added, trying to get across that the team had been worried.

"S-sorry." The orange haired girl stuttered. "I think you're confused." Her voice didn't sound very convincing, the hiccup that followed making the device jump to it's owner's hands. "Uh...I've got to go." Turning on her heel the foreign girl left, walking as quickly as she could without drawing attention to herself.

"What was that about?" The pigtailed girl asked.

"I don't know." R responded, turning her head to look at her teammate.

"Go find out." The white haired girl insisted, getting a smile.

"Thanks." The other said, running after her other friend. She caught up quickly without any use of her semblance, just at the stairs, sliding down the rail with practiced ease to stop in front of her. "Penny, where have you been?" The question held concern, but the freckled girl looked off to the side like trying to figure out an escape. "It's been weeks!" Over a month, actually, but the question at least got the attention she wanted.

"There seems...to be a...misunderstanding..." The green wearer tried again, her words coming out hesitant in an obvious lie, before trying to walk passed.

"What?!" The speed user demanded, anger trying to take over before concern took it's place as a thought entered her mind. "Penny..." She ran forward a bit, sliding down another railing. "Is everything okay?"

"..." The girl just kept walking, they were going to draw attention at this rate.

"Penny, please stop!" She darted forward, grabbing the left arm with her own...people were staring now, some might recognize her voice since a few were from Beacon. "Look..." The wolf took a deep breath, bringing her voice low and letting in a slight growl to throw people off. "I don't know what's wrong, but you HAVE to listen to me." It was more begging than anything else. "Those guys we met down at the docks, we think they're up to something big, something bad!" Had the other gotten hurt because of her? Threatened? ...Worse? "I need you to tell me what happened to you that night. Please. As a friend." Finally there was a sigh from her friend's mouth before green eyes looked around in worry. A step and a half to the side, leaning a little closer.

"It's not safe to talk here."

~A While Later~

They had taken seperate air ships to the city, a place to meet up softly told. Once the Faunus reached it she tapped the nervous looking girl on the shoulder, her body snapping almost defensive to the side. A reassuring smile got her to calm, and the two began walking down the street.

"I wish I could help you Ruby...but I know nothing about those men." Penny apologized, arms wide for a moment as if to show how much she didn't know.

"Well what happened to you that night?" Ruby questioned. "Blake said we were all together and then you just..." She moved her hands to her chest for a second, remembering how worried she had been before forcing the arms to keep moving around to make it look more like she was just waving her arms. "...disappeared! Where you kidnapped?!" The frantic question was asked, right hand worriedly places on the other's left arm for a moment.

"Oh no! Nothing like that!" The orange haired girl insisted, making her own almost frantic movement, perhaps it was from being startled by the question.

"Well then where DID you go?" The dark haired shot back, arms moving down on the emphasized word before moving right back up.

"I've never been to another kingdom before." The green eyed girl began. "My father asked me not to venture out too far..." She looked down sadly, probably having gotten into trouble. "But..." Her voice trailed off with a concerned look. "You have to understand, my father loves me VERY much...he just worries a lot."

"Believe me, I know the feeling." The silver eyed girl responded, rolling her eyes. Her family worried far too much. The older girl smiled softly. "But why not let us know you were okay?"

"I...was ASKED not to talk to you..." Pain shot into the younger's chest. "Or Wiess...Yang...Blake..."

"I-is it..." Her voice broke a bit as her eyes moved down, hands absently moving to the back of her skirt as she began trembling.

"Oh, no!" The freckled girl replied, looking like the thought horrified her. "It was not to talk to anyone, really."

"Was your dad that upset?" At least it wasn't because of what the tailed girl was, as she had feared. She wanted to apologize, say it was usually because of that...but that meant admitting it to the optimistic girl, which she really didn't want to do.

"No, it wasn't my father..." The green wearer disagreed, looking away and back again. A voice to the side drew their attention, a hologram talking about Atlesian technology quickly drowning out anything around the scythe user in her interest. Her whole body slumped in amazement, tail thumping against the harness rapidly. It wasn't until she noticed two soldiers from Atlas point at them that she remembered her friend, in seconds the other was off running.

"Penny wait!" The wolf honestly had no idea why she expected her to stop, but wasn't surprised when she didn't. "Where are you going?!" The call wasn't answered, a look at the suddenly running soldiers had her turn around and dash off too. Down a back alley and turning, she was sure to be lost later.

"Down here!" A man called from behind them. "She's down this way!" Continuing to run across a street, looking back to see one of them holding a car that must have nearly hit them...more importantly the second followed after them. Looking ahead she saw a platform holding a bunch of crates, pulling out Cresent Rose and slicing through one of the supports.

 _Hope nothing breakable or important was in there..._ The usually caped girl thought, turning the corner and dodging the falling crates. Seeing an alley off to the side she jumped up onto the wall, running along it until close enough to reach her friend with just a small burst of semblance. "This way!" She explained, wrapping her arms around the other before pushing off the wall beside them and activating her semblance fully. They speed down the alley, far from their pursuers, tossing around anything too close from the wind behind them...unfortunately the metal and dust smelling girl was heavier than she looked, exhausting the user. They careened downward, one dropped to the ground while the other continued to tumble passed without her tail free to help right herself. Dizzy upon finally stopping, the canine didn't notice she was sprawled across the road, slowly sitting and standing before hearing the honking of a truck.

"Ruby!" Spinning to face it yet panicking when she did and unable to call forth her aura, the girl with the pink bow pushed the other to the side before holding her hand out to stop the oncoming vehicle...it slammed to a complete stop, tires off the ground for a few moments as the road cracked beneath the girl.

"...Penny?" Even Yang or Nora would have skidded back.

"Are you okay?" Penny asked the driver in worry, getting a fearful nod. She looked over, must have seen the shocked and disbelieving look, because she looked back down in a panic. "Um..." She looked at her hands, closing them. "Uh..." People started talking, the heavy girl brushing past her friend to get away.

"Penny! Come back!" The contact snapped the Beacon trainee out of her stuper, calling before starting to run again. "Penny, please, what is going ON?" Ruby asked when her friend stopped, looking around to probably try and find a way to go. "Why are you running?!" Her hands moved up to almost cover her mouth. "How did you DO that?!" Both arms gesturing behind them.

"I-I-can't!" However much she was panicking the green eyed girl was more, her hands still clutched into fists as she waved her arms. "Everything's fine!" She tried to insist, only to hiccup again and hug herself without opening her fingers "I don't-I don't want to talk about it!"

"Penny if you just tell me what's wrong, I can help you!" The silver eyed girl argued, part of her attention behind them to listen for foodsteps.

"No, no, no!" The orange haired girl spun around, no longer facing her. "You wouldn't understand!"

"Let me try! You saved my LIFE, remember? So please, let me try! You can trust me!" If not for this girl the dark haired one would have collapsed and passed somewhere during her search for Blake, which probably would have ended VERY badly, and who knows what might have happened at the docks to her teammate and the monkey boy?

"You're my friend, right?!" The metal and dust smelling girl turned around to frantically demand, her scent never changing. "You promise you're my friend?!"

"...I promise."

"Ruby..." The voice was soft, sad, as the hands slowly began to open with the palms pointed up. "I'm not a real girl..." Skin had been removed from the truck, leaving metal plates in it's place. The red wearer probably should have gasped, demanded her own answers...but all she could do was laugh, startling her friend.

"THAT'S how you knew we're Faunus!" She probably had the same bio scan technology the Atlesians usually used in their robots, so she'd immediately identify them both without having to even see the animal parts.

"I wasn't supposed to?" The robot girl asked quietly.

"No one's really supposed to know. I mean, I have a few that do now, but..." Her friend trailed off, forcing her mind to the proper topic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruby, oh Ruby...you poor girl, no idea what's going on. I definitely want to get across that Faunus are more likely to be controlled by their animal instincts, but they can certainly surpass them with practice.


	4. Robotics and Obsession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penny was a Robot, that was fine. Sun proved to be completely incapable of protecting Blake, that was expected. Fighting a giant robot wasn't either...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got about everything I wanted for this out of my head, so hope you all enjoy.

She was in a dumpster. The robot had panicked when they heard a soldier's call, lifting the Faunus while she squirmed and fumbled in her attempt to say that it was a bad idea, opening the large metal bin...everything went black at that point, passing out from the smell alone. At least she was conscious again, though pinching her nose didn't help nearly as much as she would like. Pushing herself upward with her semblance caused her to burst from the (thankfully empty) bin, kicking off the wall to get away from the smell.

"Ick..." Ruby complained once she stopped, knowing she smelt awful. Reaching into a small pouch on her leg hidden by the dress she pulled free a small spray can...spraying it over herself rid the smell, replacing it with a synthesized version of her own. It had to be one of the best gifts she had gotten, bought by the cat, a bit of DNA (in this case a few strands of fur from her tail) was enough for specialized stores for Faunus with a high sense of smell to replicate it and rid any unpleasant smells. Her scroll started to go off as soon as she put the spray can away.

"Everyone!" Blake's voice came through, making the leader grin. "If you can hear me, we need back-"

"HEEELLLP!" Sun yelled from the background, the wolf's grin dropping as her lips pulled back slightly. It was bad enough that they made the cat go to the most dangerous spot without her, but sending the scardy monkey was just unforgivable! He couldn't protect her! "Big robot! And it's big! Really big!" He cried in a panic.

"I'll be right there!" The girl responded despite not knowing if anyone could hear her, switching over tabs to pinpoint where Blake's scroll was. She only now realized she'd already used her semblance twice, once to move Penny and once to get out of the trash bin, the rose petals probably still scattered behind...with her teammate in danger it didn't matter if she got in trouble again. Point found, she dashed off.

~On the Bridges~

The wolf knew she really shouldn't have felt so happy about the monkey and his friend going flying, but her possessiveness could be pushed aside with him out of the picture. The robot fell over the side, towards her, and it was time to fight...it wasn't as easy as it should have been, thanks to her refusing to leave the cat's side.

~After the Fight~

"Just got this thing cleaned." Torchwick grumbled as he dusted off his jacket, glaring at the four with hunched shoulders. The brawler punched a long range dust bullet, only to have a small girl (woman?) land in front of him and block with an umbrella...he grinned as soon as he saw his 'protector' and visibly relaxed. "Ladies..." He began, his complete calm and sadistic grin causing the silver eyed girl's instincts to howl in her head. "...Red." Of course the orange haired man would manage to recognize her again, even with her tail hidden this time. "A pleasure, as always." His sarcasm is thick. "Neo, if you would." The umbrella user bows, the red eyed girl runs at her and punches. The criminal and his helper shatter like glass, an airship appearing and flying the two away.

"So, I guess he got a new henchman." Yang grumbles as the team stare off where their enemy had went.

"Yeah, I guess she really made our plan..." The youngest's eyes widen a fraction, unable to believe what she thinks is about to happen. Her partner smiles, looking at her partner's half-sister. "Fall apart?" Wiess tries with a proud look and holding out her left hand, the tailed girl letting out a howling laugh despite that it was awful.

"No." The blonde responded with a deadpan expression. "Just no." The cat begins walking away, their leader quick to follow.

"What?! You do it!" The white haired girl pointed out angrily, the wolf easily imagining her hands on her hips.

"There is a time and place for jokes." The lilac eyed one stated in disappointment, neither noticing the Faunus already leaving.

"Was this not it?" The fact that the blue eyed girl was trying to learn, even if she'd never admit it, showed how close their team had become.

"No, it just wasn't very good." The more endowed girl corrected, the girl with red tipped hair hearing her familiar foodsteps beginning to head after them.

"Well, at least I'm trying." The white wearer argued, like that made up for the bad joke, the clack of her high heels quickly sounding as she tried to catch up. The red lover couldn't help being amused by the humans' banter, resting her head against the shoulder of her fellow Faunus as they walked.

~Two Weeks Later~

The young leader was anxious and worried, her half-sister's partner had become obsessed with the White Fang and Torchwick since the incident at the bridges (somehow none of her semblance petals seemed to have been found so she hadn't actually gotten caught). The older had barely slept or ate, the remaining trio seemed unable to do anything but watch as she progressively got worse. The little girl had tried to distract her by asking what was happening to her, since the ex-fang said she'd explain, only to be told it wasn't important right now.

"Hey, Blake!" Sun's voice came as the team tried to get into the dorm building, placing a hand easily on the black haired Faunus' shoulder. The snarl that left the canine's throat was weak, barely audible as she tried to ignore how warm her body felt...it reminded her far too much of one of the blonde girl's hugs from before she could control her semblance, like standing in a fire and horribly stifling. "You uh...doing okay?" She didn't notice that she wasn't focusing on the scene until hearing a book slam shut.

"I'm fine." Blake responds, bags under her eyes probably worrying him too.

"So I hear there's this dance going on this weekend..." Black eyes flick to the girl with red tipped hair but she barely registers it thanks to the aching crawling up her body. "Ah, sounds pretty lame, but you and me, I'm thinking, not AS lame, huh?" Had the look been an attempt to ask permission? No, that was ridiculous.

"What?" Golden eyes narrow up at the male Faunus.

"The dance! This weekend!" He sounds excited now, maybe because the tailed girl isn't trying to stop him. "You wanna go, or what?"

"I don't have time for a STUPID dance." The cat hissed, looking betrayed. "I thought YOU of all people would get that." She practically shoved him away, walking away from the team. The littler Faunus followed after, mildly pleased he had upset her.

~In RWBY's Room~

"You WHAT?" Blake demanded from her spot on her bed, arms crossed and eyes narrow.

"We want you to go to the dance." Ruby repeated, sitting on her own bed and clutching the corgi pillow like a lifeline. Aura poured into it to activate the ice dust, helping to push back the heat otherwise overtaking the poor girl's body. To be honest she can't really hear the conversation anymore, the ice dust only seemed to make her temperature pick up to feel like before, though her mouth responded every now and then all on it's own. It wasn't until the door slammed that she registered the feline had left, causing a pitiful whine to escape.

"Don't worry Ruby, we'll figure something out." Yang assured her sister with a forced smile, their remaining teammate pulling out her scroll.

"Team CFVY just got back, but they need to leave again tomorrow." Wiess read aloud. "So it seems we're still on the planning committee." She added.

~A While Later~

The silver eyed girl had no idea when she had fallen asleep or tucked herself in, the latter pretty stupid with how warm she had already been, but apparently she had. And now her partner was trying to wake her with a poor imitation of a hiss, she only knew who it was because of the fresh snow smell, shaking the blanket covered body.

"Honestly, if you don't have anything better to do you should be helping us and Team CFVY." Weiss complained, continuing to shake the younger until her eyes blinked open. "I need YOU to pick a tablecloth." She explained, two blurry squared of white suddenly shoved in the leader's face.

"... Aren't they both the same?" Ruby murmured in confusion, blinking a few more times in hopes of regaining proper vision. There was a sigh of frustration that was far louder than it had to be, causing her to flinch away and achy pain to immediately fill her body.

"I don't even know why I asked!" The blue eyed girl huffed, dropping off the side of the bed and landing with a horribly loud CLICK from her boots. The whole room smelt like the most awful mix of the occupants' various scents now that her partner wasn't so close, making the wolf's jaw tremble as she tried to keep in the rising bile. "Ruby?" The human must have noticed something wasn't right, voice concerned. The other tried to respond, only to throw her body to the side and relieve her stomach onto the floor the moment she opened her mouth. "RUBY!" Concern had turned to panic now and she'd apologize if she could, but her body was too busy wretching.

"B-Bl..." The Faunus tried to beg for her fellow part-animal, but trying to speak only made it worse. Dizziness hit hard, it was good only her head was over the side or she'd have surely fallen off.

"Blake!" The white haired girl agreed in a squeak, the sound of fabric moving followed as she fumbled for her scroll. "I-I...DUST what is happening..." She obviously had no idea what was happening or how to help, the other squirming under the blanket as her panicking mind tried to find the number of who they needed. The door opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been planning what is happening to Ruby pretty much since I decided this wasn't a one-shot anymore, and since she and Weiss don't really do much before the dance I decided now would be better than during what would be volume 3. I did extend the time between episodes 6 and 7, giving almost a full week before the dance. I also have Team CFVY come back from the mission they're on during most of volume 2, only to leave the next day. This is important. Hope you all enjoyed.


	5. Fragile Nature

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby's never felt worse in her life, but at least someone knows what is going on for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you want to be working on Fragmented Magic but inspiration does not agree...oh well I guess. Hope you all enjoy!

"Maybe it's..." The voice made the girl with red tipped hair whine as loudly as she could, hoping the person who stood in the open doorway would notice.

"Blake, help!" Weiss cried in panic, stomach acid falling from the little girl's mouth as she choked.

"Ruby!" The ribbon wearer must have jumped the length of the room since there was no sound of her feet hitting the floor, practically tearing the blanket from the top bunk. "I should have realized this would happen..." Blake berated herself angrily, gently touching the burning skin of her leader before pulling sharply back with a curse. "Weiss, call Nora. We need the thinnest, shortest clothes she has. I'll find a way to replace them if she likes them, this is an emergency!" She ordered, trying to keep her voice level.

"B-Bl-" Ruby choked again on her attempt to speak, the older already beginning to undo the harness.

"Speaking isn't going to help, we need to get this junk off." These was no hesitation as she unlatched the tail holder or undid the belt, pulling them free before beginning to work on the clothes. "You'll have to change into something cooler." The tailed girl could hear the erratic pounding of her half-sister's partner's heart as she tied the familiar black ribbon directly below the sensitive nose...it blocked out the other scents well, allowing her stomach and throat to finally begin settling. The door opened again, though she hadn't noticed it close to begin with.

"How long-" Yang's voice stopped abruptly, a burst of her firey aura filling the room and making her half-sister whimper. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY SISTER?!" The blonde yelled, her partner hissing as the youngest team member curled into herself at the loud sound.

"I'm TRYING to help her!" The black haired girl hissed back, making sure not to raise her voice. "So don't get in the way. You're just a HUMAN." There was so much venom in the last word, like some vile curse, that the girl with red tipped hair whined again.

"N-no...fi...g-ght." She managed to beg, the cotton-ball like feeling in her throat making it all the harder to speak.

"Okay." The gold eyed girl agreed softly, a hand petting the top of the silver eyed girl's head. The clothing had mostly been taken off now, leaving only the underwear as the small chest rose and fell with almost ragged breaths. "...I'm sorry Yang."

"What...what's going on?" The lilac eyed girl's voice was quiet now too, concern dripping from it.

"This is natural." The cat eared girl responded, and the one she was petting could easily imagine the horrified expressions on the faces of their other teammates.

"THIS?" The white haired girl squeaked.

"The first time." The older Faunus added, not moving away from the one in pain.

"That's...that's awful." The blue eyed girl murmured.

"It'll get better." A ding went off, a scroll message.

"They'll be here in a minute." She stated, a silence filling the room for a moment. "Can...can we help?"

"Help?" The feline repeated, making a thoughtful noise. "She'll need water and some meat, to get her energy back, but she won't be in any condition to eat or drink for a bit..." The petting hand moved to the canine's cheek and it was so cool, felt so nice, that she nuzzled it without thinking.

"She-she's panting, right?" Was she? She hadn't noticed. "I could...maybe cool her down? With some dust?" Her partner could be really kind when she wanted to.

"Ruby?" The wolf heard her name, but the cool touch felt so GOOD. "Ruby, I need you to answer something. Can you do that for me?" The cat inquired, the other giving a slight nod. "Did you use your special pillow when we were all talking earlier?" It took several moments to realize exactly what was being spoken of, though a second nod did finally answer. "...I thought so." A second hand was petting the little girl's head again and if she was a cat she'd be purring, tail instead barely lifting in attempts to wag. "Unfortunately, it won't help. It hit this fast because she was trying to force down her temperature earlier, if she hadn't it probably would have taken a day or two more to fully kick in."

"Our gift made it worse?" The brawler breathed, the awful guilt obvious.

"If it was anything else trying to cool her own would have been a good idea." Blake tried to assure, getting a mix between a whine and whimper when she pulled the hand on a cheek away.

"What's-"

"Oh, Ruby!" The door hadn't been closed from the last time someone entered, and now there was apparently a bunny Faunus in the doorway. "I'm so sorry, I didn't think it would hit you this fast!" Velvet sounded apologetic and a little panicked, darting across the room to the other two Faunus.

"The headmaster already knows Vel's here, I warned him. He'll call your dad or whatever needs to be done. Weiss' message had her babbling and running off before I had a chance to ask what happened." Coco must have followed her teammate, seeing as her voice came from the doorway too. She stepped in, far calmer, and closed the door.

"You messaged Velvet?" The golden eyed girl's voice had a slight hiss to it.

"Clothes...they need a hole for her tail..." Weiss explained. "I couldn't buy it, even from the shop here, so..."

"It's not like she didn't already know." The older leader responded, a gasp from one member of the team and a snarl from the other. "She heard the tail moving around." The silver eyed girl was slowly sat up, bra being replaced with a thin tank-top that didn't hold in heat. Her undies were taken off with a soft apology, a pair made to go around her tail put on in their place...she kind of liked them, instead of human ones that sat below her tail and always tried to fall off.

"The first heat is always so awful..." The brown eared girl said sadly, carefully shuffling through a bag. "After I found out about you not having any Faunus family I realized you might have your first heat here. I asked Coco to go with me to Vale, so I could pick up some suppressants for you." She had a calming voice despite the obvious worry, making the younger feel even worse for not helping her with Cardin.

"You thought of that?" The ribbon user asked, sounding a little surprised.

"The last thing I wanted was for someone to have to go through this without help." The brown eyed girl really was too kind. "...I'm going to guess we'll need the shots the first time..." A high pitched whine came from the girl 'in heat'.

"I'm sorry Ruby. It'll make you feel better, I promise." The cat spoke as she pet the other's head a little more, getting a small nod.

"T-tr...u...st..." Ruby barely forced the sounds from her throat, mind barely making sense of what she was trying to do. She still understood them fine, but it was like she was forgetting how to speak.

"So this is her first heat, huh? Glad to know you went through yours before we met Vel." The fashionista declared, another whine filling the room. "Sorry." Her voice almost sounded sheepish. "But Vel goes through these a lot, being a rabbit and all. It'll get better." That was...actually really reassuring.

"Heat? Like an...animal?" The heiress questioned, voice sounding off at the end as she tried not to make it sound insulting. The beret wearer just laughed.

"Yes." The other young human's partner answered simply.

"Once most Faunus are physically mature enough they'll have their first heat, but only if they're around other Faunus. A lot of old hormones and such stop being produced and a bunch of new ones start, all at once. Inner parts of the body shift to where they'll need to be later, it can be a rather...unpleasant process." The shy girl elaborated slowly.

"It's like hitting puberty for a human, except years of changes happen at the same time and last for a week or two." The sunglasses wearer clarified, perhaps a much better explanation for the humans.

"Believe it or not, it's good that Ruby is having her first here. Otherwise it could have been triggered suddenly and with no one around to help." The petting had stopped now but the cool hand was still on the fanged girl's cheek, so it was better than nothing. A loud yelp sounded as something jabbed painfully into her arm, trying to pull away. "This is going to help, remember?" Something that was supposed to help hurting shouldn't hurt too! Hands she didn't notice were holding her arm in place, the rest of her body squirming as she whimpered.

"How did you find out about our family all being human?" Yang asked once the jabbing had stopped, probably just to fill the silence that had suddenly filled the room and distract her half-sister.

"I told her." Her partner answered immediately.

"That's not what happened!" The girl with long brown hair ojected quickly. "I kept hearing the tail move against the harness...and how Ruby would shake when another Faunus was being bullied...once she and Blake started spending a lot of time together I asked if there was anything I could do to help..."

"So I asked for anything she knew about wolf Faunus...I know some about a lot of different kinds of Faunus, but a second opinion couldn't hurt."

"When I asked why she didn't just ask Ruby she told me it was FOR Ruby...I figured it out after that." Another laugh sounded.

"That's Vel for you!" Coco sounded like she was grinning. "She's never been the type for trouble, so she never said anything. Just wants to help everyone."

"Coco!" Velvet's foot started tapping against the floor, like an agitated bunny. "You shouldn't say stuff like that! Making me out to be better than I am..."

"Come on Vel, didn't you see Kitty Cat's face when you said you brought suppressants? Looked to me like you were a little lifesaver." Her leader insisted.

"She's right Velvet, you're a lifesaver." The black eared girl agreed before the other Faunus could argue.

"I just wanted to help." The brown eyed girl murmured.

"...I'm sorry that Ruby couldn't help you with Cardin." The blonde apologized suddenly.

"Oh, no! There's no reason to apologize!" The rabbit Faunus disagreed, suddenly sounding startled. "I was hoping there wasn't going to have to be some sort of fight anyway! And after what happened in the cafeteria I figured when she was young humans must have hurt her-"

"You figured that out too?" Weiss questioned, clearly amazed.

"...From Yang's reaction it wasn't hard to guess..." Came the nervous response.

"...Thanks Velvet. A lot." The well endowed girl sounded truly thankful. "I'll tell Dad and Qrow how much you helped when I'm sure Ruby's feeling a little better."

"If you want to help you can get that water and meat. The suppressants should let her keep them down." And with that the two humans both darted from the room, both wanting to be useful to their leader somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now Velvet is a cinnamon roll too...someone help me, I'm bringing out the full cinnamon rolls in the cinnamon rolls! Velvet hears all. Coco is there because she doesn't like leaving Velvet alone after the 'Cardin Incident'...and they had been both in the ballroom with Weiss and Yang to set up the dance before Weiss left. Hope you enjoyed, see you soon!


End file.
